Posted by Neal Thurman • Sep 30, 2019 2:38:56 PM
I recently returned from the DMEXCO conference in Germany, where the Coalition was first launched just three years ago. The Coalition hosted a presentation for trade associations and companies to provide an update on our work, discuss the broad industry adoption of the Better Ads Standards, and present new data on ad blocking rates and ad blocker downloads.
Ad blocking slows
Ad blocker rates in North America and Europe have declined modestly from their peak in mid-2017 as the Coalition’s efforts have taken hold and other factors have contributed to this improvement. Install rates for ad blocker plug-ins in Chrome have declined more significantly since fall of 2016.
Improving online ads is good for consumers and good for business
Our presentation highlighted the results achieved by publisher Burda as it has implemented its “Goodvertising” strategy. The strategy and the Coalition for Better Ads were both launched at DMEXCO in 2016 with a common theme of improving the consumer experience with online advertising. Burda’s websites comply with the Better Ads Standards and also incorporate additional efforts focused on user-friendly ads. Burda’s experience, described in detail in this case study, demonstrates that publishers that focus on improving the online ad experience for consumers, including adopting the Better Ads Standards, can benefit as positive user feedback translates into improved advertising performance and increased financial results.
Also in connection with DMEXCO, the online marketer circle (OVK) within the German Federal Association of Digital Economy (BVDW) eV published the new market figures for the country’s digital advertising industry, forecasting an increase of 9.7 percent to 3.6 billion euros for 2019. The release highlighted the industry efforts to optimize its range of forms of advertising. "Marketers generally see a shift across all formats towards the forms of advertising the Coalition for Better Ads classifies as ' better ads'," says Rasmus Giese (United Internet Media), chairman of the online marketer OVK.
Growing browser support for the Better Ads Standards
The Coalition recently announced that it has entered into agreements with members Microsoft and South Korea’s NAVER Corporation to promote compliance with the Better Ads Standards by interested companies and assist with maintaining the integrity of the Coalition’s Program Register of complaint companies. The companies have separately announced their intentions to filter ads that do not comply with the Better Ads Standards through Microsoft’s Edge browser and NAVER’s Whale browser. The companies will adhere to the requirements of the Better Ads Experience Program and recognize that companies on the Program Register that have certified to compliance with the Better Ads Standards and are subject to the Program’s procedures and independent dispute resolution program.
What’s next for the Coalition for Better Ads
Building on the global expansion of the Better Ads Standards for desktop and mobile web earlier this year, the Coalition is developing new Standards for short-form video and in-app advertising. Consumer research on short-form video has been completed with thousands of consumers in 8 countries around the world and the Coalition expects to announce new Standards by the end of the year. We have also begun to develop a research methodology for in-app advertising and have been gathering feedback from trade associations and their members to advance our work in this area next year.
The Coalition continues to benefit from the expertise of its member companies. We recently welcomed Rich Audience and NAVER Corporation to our membership. Please contact me via this website to learn more about the benefits of membership.
